Shop opening time

Basic data
Title:	Law on closing time
Short title:	Non- official shop closing law
Abbreviation:	LadSchlG
Type:	Federal law
Scope:	Federal Republic of Germany
Legal matter:	Labor law , trade law
References :	8050-20
Original version from:	November 28, 1956 ; ( BGBl. I p. 875 )
Entry into force on:	December 30, 1956
New announcement from:	June 2, 2003 ; ( BGBl. I p. 744 )
Last change by:	Art. 430 VO of August 31, 2015 ; ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 1474, 1537 )
Effective date of the ; last change:	September 8, 2015 ; (Art. 627 of August 31, 2015)
	Please note the note on the applicable legal version.

Shop opening times are general regulations according to which shops have to be restricted for various reasons, such as employee protection or the protection of Sundays and public holidays at certain times in the majority of all European countries. This is a prohibition rule (with exceptions) and not a bid rule, i.e. the shops are free to choose the opening times outside of the closing times. Special store closing and opening laws of the federal states in Germany, the cantons in Switzerland and Austria are regulated by a federal law.

Supermarket in Sweden: open every day, only closed on Christmas Eve

The shop opening time depends on the business decision about the opening of the sales point and the statutory shop closing times. When determining the opening times, the retailer will primarily focus on consumer demand in each individual case.

In addition, there are regulations for shop closing times in many European countries. For reasons of employee and immission protection, in some countries they affect the night hours on working days and in the majority of all European countries, for reasons of Sunday and public holiday and employee protection, the respective Sundays and public holidays. In recent years in Europe, shop closing times on working days have been abolished in many countries, as corresponding regulations as protective provisions for employees were no longer deemed necessary after the implementation of European Directive 2003/88 / EC on certain aspects of the organization of working hours in national legal systems are. The existing legal regulations on shop closing times provide retailers with a framework within which they can align themselves with the needs of consumers when setting the opening times.

The actual opening times are therefore usually much shorter than the legally permissible shop opening times, depending on demand. In large cities, tourist regions and generally in the food trade, hardware store and furniture stores, sales outlets generally have the longest opening times. In connection with certain events and festivals, night openings on individual days are also enjoying increasing popularity (for example in Spain before Christmas, in Germany in connection with special occasions). However, exceptions are also possible, in particular from the general ban on Sunday opening in tourist areas or for areas around train stations, ports and airports, in which the municipalities decide on a case-by-case basis.

Germany

In Germany, since the federal reform of 2006, responsibility for regulating shop closing times lies with the federal states. The federal store closing law only applies in the federal states that have not passed their own store opening law; that is currently only the Free State of Bavaria.

According to the Federal Store Opening Act, sales were last allowed Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bakeries from 5:30 a.m. Shops generally closed on Sundays and public holidays; Exceptions were made for milk filling stations (two hours), bakeries (three hours), flower shops (two hours, on certain major public holidays such as Memorial Day and Dead Sunday six hours) and newsagents (five hours). On Christmas Day, Easter Monday and Whit Monday, all shops were strictly prohibited from selling. Petrol stations and shops in train stations and airports were excluded from the shop closing regulations.

The federal states were allowed to set a maximum of four shopping Sundays per year. Shops were allowed to open a maximum of five hours on these days outside of the main service hours. The Sundays in Advent were not allowed to be released as Sundays open for sale. In health resorts and recreational areas, the federal states were generally able to allow Sunday.

On February 14, 2019, the Munich Higher Regional Court ruled on a case from Bavaria that rolls and bread are “a prepared meal” within the meaning of the Catering Act , which would mean that the restrictions on shop opening times for bakeries with café operations no longer apply because they then legally restaurants would be.

On October 17, 2019, the Federal Court of Justice ruled that bread rolls are considered “prepared meals”, thereby confirming the judgment of the Munich Higher Regional Court. Bakeries with cafés for consumption on site are therefore allowed to sell their bread rolls all day on Sundays and public holidays.

history

Junge Union poster against shop closing from 1995

In the 19th century, shops in Germany were usually open seven days a week between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. 1879 in Stralsund , the first German department store by Leonhard Tietz opened. With the department stores, the structure of the sales staff changed considerably. Only twelve years later, in 1891, it was stipulated that sales were only allowed for five hours on Sundays. As early as October 1, 1900, the first shop closing law came into force in the German Reich . Shops were only allowed to open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. - but this only applied to working days , with the further generous granting of special permits for grocery stores, kiosks and bakeries and a corresponding shift of Sunday rest to Saturdays for Jewish shops. In the form of voluntary agreements by 1911, merchants in numerous towns and communities had agreed on an evening shop closing time of 8 p.m. From 1919 onwards, a new legal regulation introduced Sunday rest and limited shop opening hours on working days from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Also during the Nazi rule , the closing times have been further regulated and implemented until 1996 18: 30 regulation introduced.

On November 28, 1956, the “Law on Shop Closures” was passed in the Federal Republic of Germany , which was valid from 1957. Shops could now be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. and on Saturdays until 2 p.m. Exceptions were facilities such as gas stations, kiosks, train station shops, pharmacies and restaurants. The constitutional complaint against this law was rejected by the Federal Constitutional Court in 1961 .

From July 17, 1957, you could also shop on the first Saturday of the month until 6 p.m. That day was called "Long Saturday".

In 1960 it was allowed to open until 6 p.m. on the four Saturdays in Advent. Thereafter, the shop closing law was not changed for almost 30 years, until the so-called “long Thursday” was introduced as a service evening in October 1989 , on which shops were allowed to be open until 8.30 p.m.

On November 1, 1996, the shop opening hours were relaxed again; Open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays and until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The “long Thursday” was omitted.

Most recently, on March 13, 2003 , the German Bundestag decided to extend the opening hours on Saturday by four hours to 8 p.m. The new regulation came into force on June 1, 2003. Since then, there have been bans on opening shops in Germany at the following times:

on Sundays and public holidays ,
Monday to Saturday until 6 a.m. and from 8 p.m.,
on December 24th, if this day falls on a working day, until 6 a.m. and from 2 p.m.

In deviation from this, sales outlets for bakery goods were allowed to bring the start of shop opening hours forward to 5.30 a.m. on working days (see also ban on night baking ). Special regulations also applied to shops in train stations, airports and in certain holiday regions. On the occasion of markets, trade fairs and similar events, four open Sundays and public holidays per year were possible. The sales time could not exceed five hours, it had to end at 6 p.m. and be outside the times of the main services. Originally, pharmacies were expressly excluded from Sunday shopping, but the Federal Constitutional Court declared this regulation to be incompatible with the Basic Law and null and void.

On June 30, 2006, the Bundestag approved the federalism reform and with it the transfer of legislative powers in matters of shop closing to the states. On July 7, 2006, the Federal Council approved. This meant that shop closing times became a matter for the states, and each country was able to adjust the shop closing times to the needs of the population in the respective region through its own regulations. The countries were also able to take into account European experience of deregulation. The relaxed shop closing times were a reaction to changed social developments such as increased participation of women in the labor market, changing family structures and increasingly flexible working hours. In addition to increasing consumer welfare, positive effects on sales and employment were expected. The protection of Sundays and public holidays enjoys a high priority in many laws. Since then, employee protection has been regulated by special occupational health and safety regulations in the state laws and in the Working Hours Act.

Berlin was the first state to pass a corresponding law on November 9, 2006, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate on November 16, 2006, Saxony-Anhalt on November 22, 2006, Hesse on November 23, 2006, Thuringia on November 24. November 2006, Brandenburg on November 27, 2006, Schleswig-Holstein on December 1, 2006, Hamburg on January 1, 2007, Bremen on February 6, 2007, Baden-Württemberg on February 14, 2007, Lower Saxony on March 6, 2007 and Saxony on March 16, 2007.

Acceptance of extended shop closing times

According to a GfK survey from 2014, 63 percent of the German population use offers for Sunday shopping, but less than a third would agree to a complete lifting of the sales ban on Sundays. However, with regard to the general Sunday opening ban for all shops today, many people differentiate whether they are shops for basic food and supplies, which are sold in supermarkets, drug stores and clothing stores, or other goods, such as those in electrical stores, hardware stores and garden centers , Furniture stores or car dealerships. In areas close to the border, the cities on the other side of the border partially fill the supply gap due to the Sunday opening ban. For example, Dutch cities such as Venlo and Roermond advertise with shops that are open on Sundays all year round in German media to attract consumers from the Lower Rhine and the Ruhr area .

Regulations in the federal states

Overview

Shop opening times in Germany
state	Mon-Fri	Sat	So.	Date of legal force	Source of law	particularities
Baden-Württemberg	0-24	0-24		March 6, 2007
Bavaria	6-20	6-20	Federal law	-	-	no law of its own
Berlin	0-24	0-24	8 / year	November 15, 2006
Brandenburg	0-24	0-24	6 / year 13-20	November 29, 2006
Bremen	0-24	0-24		April 1, 2007
Hamburg	0-24	0-24		January 1, 2007
Hesse	0-24	0-24	Federal law	December 1, 2006		Shops must close at 8 p.m. on Maundy Thursday.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania	0-24	0-22		July 2, 2007
Lower Saxony	0-24	0-24	Federal law	April 1, 2007
North Rhine-Westphalia	0-24	0-24	Max. 16 per community, max. 8 per business, otherwise largely federal law	March 30, 2018
Rhineland-Palatinate	6-22	6-22		November 29, 2006
Saarland	6-20	6-20		November 15, 2006		6–24 once a year
Saxony	6-22	6-22		April 1, 2007		0–24 five times a year
Saxony-Anhalt	0-24	0-20	Federal law	November 30, 2006
Schleswig-Holstein	0-24	0-24	largely federal law	December 1, 2006		From December 15 to October 31, sale of goods for daily use and consumption on Sundays and public holidays is possible in many spa, bathing and tourist resorts (except Good Friday and Christmas Day, May Day, sales only by shopkeepers). Since December 2013 the season has been reduced to the period from December 17th to January 8th and March 15th to October 31st.
Thuringia	0-24	0-20	largely federal law	November 24, 2006

Baden-Württemberg

The Baden-Württemberg store opening law contains the 6 × 24 regulation, i.e. H. unlimited opening hours on working days; three Sundays and public holidays open for sale per year; Excluded from this are the Advent Sundays, Easter and Pentecost Sundays and the Christmas holidays. The store opening law was passed by the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg on February 14, 2007 and came into force on March 6, 2007. The law was originally supposed to come into force on January 1, 2007, but this date could not be kept due to the legislative process. There was a heated debate beforehand about the number of Sundays open for business per year. The number should be reduced from four to two at the request of the CDU parliamentary group. The FDP , who wanted to at least keep the previous regulation for Sundays, resisted this. The then CDU / FDP coalition finally agreed on three shopping Sundays a year. This regulation has been in effect since January 1, 2008, and for 2007 a transitional regulation with four Sundays open for shopping applied.

In Baden-Württemberg, based on the ban on the sale of alcohol between midnight and 7 a.m. on federal motorways, a statutory regulation for a night sale ban for alcohol from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. was adopted, which was repealed in December 2017.

Regulation Mother's Day 2008

Since Mother's Day 2008 coincided with Pentecost Sunday, general opening of flower shops was not permitted. However, several municipalities referred to Section 11 of the Baden-Württemberg Shop Opening Act, which allows the municipalities to make an exception. Bretten and Waiblingen were the first cities in the state to make use of this regulation. Other municipalities planned to join this regulation. However, all special permits were overturned by a court decision, so that there was definitely no flower sale on Mother's Day 2008. The next Mother's Day that falls on a Pentecost Sunday is May 13, 2035.

Bavaria

The nationwide regulations of March 13, 2003 continue to apply.

Even under the CSU sole government under Edmund Stoiber , there was a tied vote between supporters and opponents in a trial vote on the actually planned 6 × 24 bill in the CSU parliamentary group. The previous opening times were then retained. After the CSU lost its absolute majority in the state elections in 2008 and formed a coalition with the FDP , the latter pushed for a change in the opening times, but could not prevail in the negotiations that followed. Thus, the existing regulation remains for the time being.

Berlin

The Shop Opening Act of November 14, 2006 contains a 6 × 24 rule. From 2006 to 2009 it was open on the Advent Sundays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, four additional Sundays were determined by the city during this time (usually for special events such as trade fairs) and two more could be chosen by each individual dealer for special occasions such as street festivals or anniversaries. The law came into effect on November 15, 2006.

On November 11, 2007, the Protestant and Catholic Churches lodged constitutional complaints with the Federal Constitutional Court against the Berlin Shop Opening Act. On December 1, 2009, the court partially upheld the constitutional complaints and declared the regulation of shop opening on Advent Sundays (Section 3 (1) Alt. 2 of the Berlin Shop Opening Act) to be unconstitutional.

On October 23, 2010, the second law to amend the Berlin Store Opening Act came into force. This means that the Berlin Senate can set eight shopping Sundays per year by general decree. However, this includes a maximum of two Advent Sundays. Entrepreneurs can set two additional Sundays for a specific occasion (street festival, anniversary, etc.).

Brandenburg

The Brandenburg store opening law contains a 6 × 24 regulation. The number of shopping Sundays is six per year, which can take place between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., but not on Good Friday , Easter Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Memorial Day , Dead Sunday and public holidays in December. The law came into force on December 1, 2006.

Bremen

The Bremen shop closing law contains a 6 × 24 rule. A maximum of four shopping Sundays per year; these may be open for up to five hours, but not on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Memorial Day, Death Sunday and public holidays in December. The law came into force on April 1, 2007.

Hamburg

The Hamburg store closing law contains a 6 × 24 rule; the rules for Sunday opening remain at four Sundays, but these may no longer take place on Advent Sundays, public holidays or quiet days . The new store opening act was passed by the citizens on December 13, 2006 and promulgated as a law of December 22, 2006 on December 29, 2006. It came into force on January 1, 2007.

Hesse

The Hessian store opening law provides for a 6 × 24 regulation; the regulations for Sundays and public holidays remain unchanged. The municipalities are allowed to set four Sundays per year on which the shops may open up to six hours, taking into account the main service times (not on Advent Sundays, on Dead Sunday and Memorial Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Pentecost Sunday, Whit Monday, Corpus Christi , 1st and 2nd Christmas Day). The new regulation came into force on December 1, 2006, after being passed by the state parliament on November 23. The previous law (HLöG) was initially valid until December 31, 2019 according to § 13. On December 12, 2019, the Hessian state parliament passed the new shop opening law in the third reading, which provides for slight modifications compared to the previous law. The new law came into force on January 1, 2020 and is valid until December 31, 2026. Since 2010 , shops close on Maundy Thursday at 8 pm.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

The state's shop opening law provides for a 5 × 24 rule. Saturdays can be opened until 10 p.m. There are also four shopping Sundays a year.

The so-called spa regulation, according to which the MV Ministry of Economics can allow sales on Sundays in the 53 health resorts and recreational areas , was enshrined in law. On June 13, 2007 the law was passed by the state parliament and came into force on July 2, 2007. On April 7, 2010, the Greifswald Higher Administrative Court declared the pool regulation invalid. On August 1, 2010, a new version of the bathing regulation came into force, according to which the shops in 96 places and districts (in health resorts and recreation areas, main tourist areas and the inner cities of Rostock , Schwerin , Greifswald and Neubrandenburg as well as in the world heritage cities of Wismar and Stralsund ) between the last Sunday in March and the end of October, with the exception of public holidays, the shops open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The opening times have been reduced by two hours compared to the previous regulation. Wismar and Stralsund are allowed up to twenty, the other independent cities up to ten open Sundays per year.

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony's shop opening law contains a 6 × 24 rule; Open on Sundays four times a year from 1:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The so-called bath regulation was expanded with exceptions for particularly important tourist places. The law was passed by the state parliament on March 6, 2007 and came into force on April 1, 2007.

North Rhine-Westphalia

With the new regulation of the Store Opening Act (in force since March 30, 2018), a 6 × 24 regulation applies for Monday to Saturday. The exception is December 24th: on this day the shop closes at 2 p.m.

A maximum of eight shopping Sundays with five hours each from 1 p.m. are possible for a point of sale. If the opening of sales takes place on different Sundays within a municipality in the individual city districts, there may be a total of sixteen Sundays for the entire municipality. Otherwise, the regulations for Sundays and public holidays largely correspond to the previously applicable federal law. If the entire city area is open, only one shopping Sunday in Advent is allowed. When opening in different districts, the law allows a maximum of two open Advent Sundays. No shopping Sundays or public holidays are allowed on Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, May 1st, Pentecost Sunday, Good Friday, October 3rd, All Saints Day, Memorial Day, Sunday of the Dead and December 24th if this falls on a Sunday. (Exception for December 24th: Christmas tree outlets, bakeries and flower shops can open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) The old law of May 18, 2013 still applies to Sunday shopping for 2018, which was approved before the law came into force (maximum of four Sundays per shop, maximum of eight per community).

Rhineland-Palatinate

According to the Rhineland-Palatinate Shop Opening Act, sales outlets can be open Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. On a maximum of four Sundays per year and municipality, the locally responsible municipality can generally stipulate by ordinance that sales outlets may be open for up to five hours. The permitted opening times must not be between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. The opening may not be permitted on Easter Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Memorial Day, Dead Sunday, on the Advent Sundays in December and on Sundays on which a public holiday falls. Furthermore, there can be up to eight shopping nights per year on working days. The regulation came into force on November 29, 2006. Further details on the Store Opening Act in Rhineland-Palatinate are contained in a state ordinance and in an ordinance of the Supervision and Service Directorate for the implementation of the Store Opening Act in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Saarland

The Shop Opening Act of November 15, 2006 only provides for minor changes compared to the previous legal situation. The opening times remain at 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On a maximum of one day a year, it can be opened until midnight for special occasions. Four shopping Sundays are allowed, but not on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, Dead Sunday and Memorial Day. The Sundays that are open for sale are counted for each point of sale. If the 1st Advent is in December, a Sunday shopping is allowed on this date.

Saxony

Sales outlets are allowed to open Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. In addition, municipalities can allow four shopping Sundays with opening times from 12 noon to 6 pm for special occasions; The shops are allowed to open around the clock on five working days a year.

Saxony-Anhalt

The Shop Hours Act contains a 5 × 24 rule; on Saturdays it can be opened until 8 p.m. the regulations for Sundays and public holidays correspond to the previous federal regulations. The law came into effect on November 30, 2006.

Schleswig-Holstein

The Schleswig-Holstein Shop Opening Hours Act (LÖffZG, which came into force on December 1, 2006) contains a 6 × 24 rule from Monday to Saturday. The regulations for Sundays and public holidays largely correspond to previous federal law, with four Sundays open for business per year. A special feature is the possibility of an exemption from the sales ban on Sundays and public holidays for health resorts, recreation and tourism locations in the period from December 15th to October 31st. Good Friday and Christmas Day are excluded. On May 1st, sales may only be permitted if the shopkeeper carries out the sale in person, releasing all employees. Which municipalities are affected by the exemption and whether this is tied to conditions or only granted to a limited extent is regulated by the highest state authority through ordinances (so-called pool regulations or pool regulations). The ordinance of November 18, 2008 was valid until November 27, 2013 and granted the full exemption period stipulated by law for the sale of goods for daily use and consumption. On December 17, 2013, a new swimming pool ordinance came into force for a further five years. This shortens the possible opening times on Sundays from eight to six hours and reduces the season to the period from December 17th to January 8th and March 15th to October 31st. In most of the country's tourist resorts, e.g. B. in Ostholstein, the spa regulation has led to the fact that many shops for the sale of goods for daily use and consumption are restricted for most of the year on Sundays and also on many public holidays.

Thuringia

The Shop Hours Act contains a 5 × 24 rule; on Saturdays it can be opened until 8 p.m. the regulations for Sundays and public holidays largely correspond to previous federal law. The regulation came into force on November 24, 2006.

Special regulations on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve

Christmas eve

In all federal states, on Christmas Eve , if it falls on a working day, the shops must then close by 2 p.m. at the latest.

If this falls on a Sunday, the former federal law stipulated that in addition to flower shops, bakeries and the sale of Christmas trees, shops that mainly sell luxury foods and groceries may be open for a maximum of three hours before 2 p.m. In the states of Hesse, Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate, all sales on this day (except for petrol stations and pharmacies) are currently prohibited. In Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland and Thuringia, sales in bakeries and Christmas trees are only allowed before 2 p.m. for a maximum of 3 or 5 hours per shop. Baden-Württemberg, on the other hand, only allows sales 3 hours before 2 p.m. through shops that mainly sell luxury foods and groceries, as well as Christmas trees. In Berlin, Brandenburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the restriction to certain business groups until 2 p.m. was taken over from the previous federal law. However, there is currently no longer a maximum sales time per store in these federal states. The remaining five federal states have adopted the former federal law.

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve - with the exception of Bremen, Hesse and Thuringia - there are no restrictions on shop opening times compared to a normal working day. In Bremen, Hesse and Thuringia - similar to Christmas Eve - the shops close at 2 p.m.

In Bavaria - due to the lack of a shop opening act - if December 31st falls on a working day, the statutory opening time is until 8 p.m. This opening time also applies in Saarland according to the local shop closing law as on any other working day there. Accordingly, in Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate, the shops close at 10 p.m. on every working day on New Year's Eve.

Austria

The statutory shop opening times in Austria are mainly regulated in the amendment to the 2003 Opening Hours Act that came into effect on January 1, 2008 . Shops are allowed to be open Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bakery businesses are allowed to open from 5.30 a.m. The total hold-open time within a calendar week must not exceed 72 hours.

However, the provincial governors can, under certain conditions, also order that the sales outlets may be kept open from Monday to Friday from 5 a.m. or after 9 p.m. and that sales outlets of bakeries and sales outlets for natural flowers, confectionery, fruit and vegetables can be kept open for more than 72 hours per calendar week or be kept open on Saturday after 6 p.m.

For sales activities on public holidays and from Saturday 6 p.m. to Monday 6 a.m., the provincial governors can set extended opening times under certain conditions and, if necessary, locally and seasonally limited.

There are special rules for December 24th and 31st, which are considered a public holiday after 12 noon, if they fall on a working day. Shops can open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 24th. Confectionery and fresh flowers can be sold until 6 p.m. and Christmas trees until 8 p.m. On December 31st, shops can be open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food can be sold until 6 p.m., confectionery, fresh flowers and New Year's Eve items until 8 p.m.

There are other exceptions: B. for grocery stores in train stations, duty-free shops at airports, for trade fairs and other events. In addition, the sale of goods at vending machines, in the hospitality sector, at petrol stations, in barracks and market traffic is excluded from these legal provisions.

Around 2012–2013, the food discounters Hofer and Lidl extended their opening times from 8am to 7pm (Saturday only until 6pm, closed on Sundays) to 7.40am–20pm (still 8am to 6pm on Saturdays, closed on Sundays).

In 2014/2015, SPAR extended the opening times of most branches from 8 am–6.30pm (Sat – 5pm, Sun closed) to 7.00 / 15/30/40 to 19.00 / 30/45 or 20.00. There are seasonal branches that have extended opening times in winter in ski areas and in summer in lake areas or on Sundays.

Since around 2010, Spar supermarkets in Graz have been open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Graz Airport, from 5.30 a.m. to 9 p.m., and since around 2013 also on Lendplatz and the central Hans-Sachs-Gasse from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

As of November 2015, Spar has 10 branches that are open on Sundays all year round at least from 9 a.m. and at least until 5 p.m., the longest opening times are at Linz Central Station: daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Branches are also open on Sundays at train stations in Graz, Leoben, Salzburg and Vienna (2), Vienna and Graz airports, as well as the Vienna General Hospital and Innsbruck University Hospital. The branch types are: 1 Interspar hypermarket, 7 Spar supermarket, 1 Spar Gourmet and 1 Interspar Pronto (smaller range and snacks).

In 2015, Wels shops in the streets around the Christmas World will be allowed to open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the four Sundays of Advent, but not the use of employees or the offering of food. The opening was operated by the municipal tourism and marketing GmbH , from the state of Upper Austria. The union was against it. In a ballot among 253 trade employees, 95.7% voted against.

Shopping centers strive to offer uniformly long (minimum) opening times for all shops, possibly with restaurants or a grocery store that keep open a little longer. The situation in and near Graz as of 2015: Citypark Graz has been open generally from 9 am to 7.30 pm (Sat – 6 pm) for many years, SPAR extended it to 8 am to 8 pm in 2015, gastronomy is also open until 8 pm or longer. Murpark Graz, Center West in Graz-Webling and Shopping City Seiersberg are also generally open from 9am to 7.30pm (sa –18), Graz Nord only open 9am to 7pm (sa –18). The traditional department store near the main square, Kastner & Öhler , is open from 9.30 am to 7 pm.

Stricter opening times apply throughout Austria for pharmacies, which have to be closed all day on Sundays and public holidays and on Saturdays after 12 noon. This does not apply to pharmacies on emergency duty.

Switzerland

National legislation

At the federal level, the Labor Act (ArG) regulates working and rest times (but not opening times). Day work (6 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and evening work (8 p.m. to 11 p.m.) do not require a permit (Art. 10 ArG). Night and Sunday work is generally prohibited (Art. 16 and 18 ArG), exceptions require a permit (Art. 17 and 19 ArG). Wherever no cantonal or communal law restricts shop opening times, the maximum opening times are Monday to Saturday 6 am to 11 pm.

Cantonal legislation

In Switzerland, the cantons regulate the opening times autonomously. The provisions of the labor law regarding the protection of sales staff remain reserved . 16 cantons have passed relevant laws, with that of the canton of Zurich not having any restrictions from Monday to Friday; In the other 15 cantons, retail stores are open on workdays until 6.30 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. or 10 p.m. and on Saturdays until 4 p.m., 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. Eight cantons (2014) do not have a law on shop opening hours, so that only the labor law provisions apply. Finally, two cantons leave the regulation to the political communes . Only some shops are open on Sundays. In a European comparison, most cantons apply the laws very strictly. The strictest cantons are Lucerne and Friborg. This often leads to criticism from retailers, but also from consumer associations, in particular the early closing time on Saturday at 4 p.m. is often the subject of discussions, but was always rejected by the population to liberalize or the referendum was successfully held.

Overview

Shop opening times in Switzerland
Canton	Mon-Fri	Sat	Date of legal force	Source of law	particularities
Aargau	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law (repealed in 2005)
Appenzell Ausserrhoden	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law (repealed in 2005)
Appenzell Innerrhoden	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law
Basel-Land	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law (repealed in 1997)
Basel city	6-20	6-18	August 14, 2005
Bern	6-20	6–17 (including before public holidays)	July 1, 1993		Sales transactions may be open until 10 p.m. on one working day per week.
Freiburg	6-19	6-16			The municipality can approve evening sales until 9 p.m. once a week. Tourist places can request exceptions.
Geneva	6-19, Fri until 7.30pm	6-18			Evening sale once a week until 9 p.m.
Glarus	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law (repealed in 2000)
Grisons					Regulations at the community level
law	6-18.30	6-17			1x per week until 9 p.m.
Lucerne	6am - 6.30pm from May 1st until 7pm	6-16. From May 1st until 5pm (including before public holidays)	March 1, 1988		At the community level, an evening sale until 9 p.m. can be approved on two evenings per week. From May 1st it can only be opened once a week until 9 p.m.
Neuchâtel	6-19	6-18 (including before public holidays)			1x per week until 8 p.m.
Nidwalden	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law
Obwalden	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law
St. Gallen	6-19	6-17	July 1, 2004		At community level, one evening sale can be approved on one evening per week until 9 p.m.
Schaffhausen	5–22 (in summer), 6–22 (in winter)	0-18
Schwyz	6-23	6-23	-	-	no cantonal law
Solothurn	5-18.30	5-18	January 1, 2016		Sales transactions may be open until 9 p.m. on one working day per week.
Thurgau	6-22	6-22	January 1, 2003
Ticino	6-19.00	6-18.30			1x per week until 9 p.m.
Uri	6-18.30	6–17 (including before public holidays)	January 1, 2003		Sales transactions may be open until 9 p.m. on one working day per week.
Vaud					Regulations at the community level
Valais	6-18.30	6–17 (including before public holidays)	November 1, 2002		At community level, one evening sale must be approved for one evening per week until 9 p.m. Exemption for tourists and ski resorts. Partly open daily until 7 or 8 p.m. (Zermatt, Crans Montana, Verbier, Saas Fee, Leukerbad etc.)
train	6-19	6-17	January 1, 2004		At the community level, one evening sale per week can be approved until 9.30 p.m.
Zurich	6-23	6-23	December 1, 2000

Efforts to change the status quo

Efforts have recently been made at the federal level to enact a Swiss federal law on shop opening times. According to this, the retail outlets could have opened Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., although the cantonal holidays would have been reserved. It would have been left to the cantons to provide longer opening times.

With the exception of Ticino, however, all of the cantons were against a federal solution. The question of easing Sunday rest was also highly controversial: The Swiss Free Sunday Association of trade unions, church associations, left-wing and Christian parties and occupational physicians were against an expansion of Sunday work. The employers, e.g. B. the Swiss Retail Federation, are campaigning for long shop opening times, especially on Saturdays, because of the competition in neighboring countries. After the bill was approved by the National Council , it was definitely rejected on June 6, 2016 by the Council of States , the small chamber of the national parliament, for federalist reasons.

Canton Zurich

In the Canton of Zurich , shops can be open on working days without any time restrictions. This regulation, which is very liberal across Switzerland, was adopted in a referendum on September 24, 2000 with 210,913 votes in favor against 166,049 votes against by the voters of the Canton of Zurich. From 1994 to 2000 the rule was that shops could be open until 8 p.m. on weekdays; Previously, the shop closed at 7 p.m., although evening sales were possible until 9 p.m. on a working day. However, until 2000 the municipalities had the authority to deviate from these cantonal requirements in terms of both greater freedom and greater restrictions. The city of Zurich, for example, kept shops closing at 6.30 p.m. until 1997.

On June 18, 2012, a cantonal popular initiative by the Free Democratic Party for even more free shop opening times at the ballot box was rejected with 29.32 percent yes-votes. The initiative would have meant that family shops could have set their own opening times. Opponents of the initiative feared negative effects on health, social cohesion and the environment. The proponents of the initiative want to see the Swiss labor law amended so that the cantons can determine the rules for working hours themselves.

Finland

In Finland there has been no legal regulation regarding shop closing times since 2016. The general opening times are from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Some supermarkets are now (as of 2019) open 24/7

Luxembourg

In Luxembourg, retail shops have been allowed to open until 7 p.m. on Sundays since 2015. For reasons of tourism promotion, there were already extensive exemptions for areas developed for tourism. Until 2014 there was a ban on Sundays after 1 p.m.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the general opening times from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. apply on working days. Shops are usually open on Sundays and public holidays: Sundays generally from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. as on working days, but it varies on public holidays.

Norway

In Norway, the shop closing times on working days have basically been canceled; Shops are often closed on Sundays and public holidays. Shops are allowed to open on Sundays during Advent and twelve times a year.

Italy

In Italy there have been no legally regulated shop closing times since 2011. In general, supermarkets are open every day of the year from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., sometimes around the clock in large cities. Smaller shops traditionally take a three-hour lunch break and close between 7.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m., usually varying winter and summer opening times: in the summer months the lunch break is longer, but closes later in the evening. In addition, the usual opening times vary from region to region: in the south of the country it is more likely to open and close later than in the north. With the liberalization of opening times, a large number of corner shops have emerged in cities, which are often run by citizens with a migration background and are open late into the night.

Poland

For a long time there were no mandatory shop closing times in Poland. In 2018, the Sunday opening was limited to 2 Sundays a month. Since 2020, the Sunday opening has been abolished except for a few days. The shops must also remain closed on public holidays (in a few exceptions, for example if the owner of the shop is present, they can also be opened on public holidays, but no employee is allowed to work); however, most small and medium-sized businesses close around 9pm. Branches of large international chains (especially Tesco) are occasionally open around the clock.

Portugal

Basically, there are only minor time restrictions in Portugal; You can shop here from early morning until midnight all year round.

Russia

In Russia there is no legal regulation regarding shop closing times. In metropolitan areas in particular, many larger shops and supermarkets are open around the clock, seven days a week, in smaller cities only individual shops, which are usually marked 24/7 . Otherwise, the opening times depend on the market situation, with shops that are not open for long periods of time more often on weekends and public holidays.

Sweden

In Sweden there have been no legally regulated shop opening hours since 1972, since then all shops can be open between 6 a.m. and midnight. There are only restrictions for the sale of alcoholic beverages (over 3.5 percent by volume ). Liquor stores are closed on Sundays.

Slovakia

While most of the shops are open until 6 p.m. during the week and until 12 p.m. on Saturdays, there are also chains that are also open on Sundays. However, there are efforts in Slovakia, especially by the Christian Democrats , that shops should remain closed on Sunday.

Spain

In Spain there are no restrictions on working days; each autonomous province has to allow at least 72 hours. Openings on Sundays for a maximum of 8 days per year and a maximum of 12 hours of opening time per opening day are permitted.

Czech Republic

There have been no regular shop closing times in the Czech Republic since 1989. A shop-closing law was occasionally called for by politicians from the Social Democrats and Communists, but has so far always been rejected by both the majority of the MPs and the population. However, according to an amendment to the law, the shops have had to remain closed on eight public holidays since October 1, 2016:

January 1st
Easter Monday
May 8 (Victory Day)
September 28th (national holiday)
October 28 (national holiday)
December 24th (Christmas Eve) from 12 noon
December 25th (Christmas Day)
December 26th (Christmas Day)

This does not apply to shops with a sales area of up to 200 m², petrol stations, shops at airports, train and bus stations with large numbers of passengers, shops in hospitals and other health facilities. In addition, the shops are allowed to open in the event that a state of danger, an emergency, a threat to the state or a state of war have been declared.

Hungary

There are no mandatory closing times in Hungary. Shops only have to be closed on public holidays. From March 15, 2015 to April 10, 2016 there was a shop closing law in Hungary, which forbade the opening of shops with more than 200 m² sales area on Sundays. On April 11, 2016, the law was repealed because it was very unpopular.

United Kingdom

In the UK there are generally no time restrictions on working days. Open for 6-7 hours on Sundays - usually between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Some shops open between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. In Scotland, Sundays are generally open between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Opening times vary on public holidays.

Canada

Canada has different regulations depending on the province . Most of the provinces are allowed to open on Sundays, but sometimes only with special permits and at limited times.

India

In India, according to the Weekly Holidays Act 1942 [25], every shop must remain closed on one day of the week, with the owner free to choose the day of the week.

Israel

On Shabbat (from sunset on Friday until nightfall on the following Saturday evening), most shops are closed. There are several chain stores that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week; these are mainly found in cities and regions with a larger secular population (e.g. Tel Aviv ).

United States (USA)

With a few exceptions, there are no statutory regulations. Where they exist, they are primarily created for religious reasons and are called blue laws . Entrepreneurs and the shopping habits of customers determine the opening times. Supermarkets are usually open until 10 p.m. or later, and often around the clock in metropolitan areas. Shopping centers usually close at 9 p.m., and earlier on Saturdays and Sundays. Smaller shops often close at 6 p.m.

Overview of shop opening times around the world

The following country overview shows the statutory closing times in the individual countries and refers to examples of lower opening times that are customary in the area. In addition to some European countries, the shop opening times of selected countries from other continents are included in the overview. In some countries there are also special regulations for the sale of alcoholic beverages during the night (e.g. Norway, Great Britain).

Australia
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	All outlets	no legal restriction

Belgium
Monday to Saturday	sundays and holidays
Basically: The Belgian law on closing times allows shops to be opened from Monday to Friday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturdays from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.	Few small grocery stores are open on Sundays. Retailers usually keep the statutory rest day on Sunday. Often opened:
	Bakeries: Butchers:	7 a.m. to 12 p.m. 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Denmark
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
Basically: There are no restrictions from 6 a.m. on Mondays to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Actual opening times:		In Denmark , according to the Retail Sales Act, sales outlets are generally allowed to be open on the first Sunday of each month and on the Sundays of Advent from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the last Sunday in Advent before Christmas, it is also open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. It can also be open on six other Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., two of which should be in July and August. There are no restrictions on Sundays and public holidays for smaller shops with a turnover of up to € 3.44 million. This also applies to points of sale at train stations. There are also exceptions to the shop closing times on Sundays and public holidays for the sale of certain goods such as vehicles, agricultural equipment, ships, sports aircraft, bath products, flowers and plants along with accessories, pets, auction goods and bread, rolls and newspapers. In addition, sales outlets in public exhibition buildings, rest stops on motorways, passenger ships, airports and campsites may be open on Sundays and public holidays.
Supermarkets: Shopping centers: Smaller sales outlets:	Mon-Thu: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fri: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sat: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Germany
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
Basically:	There are statutory shop closing times on working days in the states of Bavaria and Saarland (8 p.m. to 6 a.m.), Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.). Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have restrictions on Saturdays. For detailed information, see the table below. Actual opening times: Food supermarkets and shopping centers: Mon. – Sat .: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. / 9 p.m. or midnight. Retail outlets: Mon. – Fri .: 9/10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. / 7/8 p.m.; Sat .: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. / 6 p.m. / 6.30 p.m. / 7 p.m. / 8 p.m.	On Sundays and public holidays, the state's shop opening laws allow the sale of certain goods (e.g. newspapers, baked goods, flowers and plants, agricultural products, milk and milk products) as well as sales points in special locations (in train stations, airports, bus stations, at petrol stations and pharmacies in tourist regions) to certain opening times. General shopping Sundays can usually be approved by the local authorities on up to four Sundays, in Brandenburg up to six general shopping Sundays and in Berlin up to eight shopping Sundays can be approved. However, the general opening times are usually limited to a maximum of five or six hours outside of the main church service.
		Bakeries:	For example, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Estonia
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
Basically: Supermarkets: Shopping centers: Smaller sales outlets:	no legal restriction; There is a ban on alcohol sales from 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. / 7 p.m.	Mostly only supermarkets and shopping centers are open on Sundays; Exceptions occasionally confirm the rule (if there are enough staff in smaller shops).
		Supermarkets: Shopping centers:	9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Finland
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction.	As of January 1, 2016, there are no regular shop closing times.

France
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	Smaller sales outlets are allowed to open on Sundays and public holidays, but employees have special protection so that only the shop owner is allowed to open his sales outlet. Larger shops and supermarkets have the right to open during the day in some places.
		Small outlets	no legal restriction

Greece
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	Shops are only allowed to open on 18 shopping Sundays a year.
		All outlets	no legal restriction

Great Britain
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	The Sunday opening has been permitted in England and Wales with restrictions since 1994. Separate rules apply to Scotland, which has been liberalized earlier.
		Not uniform	England and Wales , sales outlets up to 280 m²: no legal restriction England and Wales , outlets over 280 m²: 6 hours between 10 am and 6 pm, many shops open from 10 am to 4 pm or 11 am to 5 pm. Scotland: Opening times are regulated by the municipalities, but there are usually no restrictions. Larger supermarkets are therefore often open 24/7. In small towns and communities, shops are often closed on Sundays.

Ireland
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	In Ireland you are free to open your point of sale whenever you want.
		All outlets	no legal restriction

Italy
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	no legal restriction

Namibia
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal regulation (special regulations apply to the sale of alcohol (only allowed Mon – Fri 8 am–7pm))	No statutory regulation (special regulations apply to the sale of alcohol (only Sat 8 am–1pm, prohibited on Sundays and public holidays))

Netherlands
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	Opening times between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. are allowed.	As a rule, there are 12 Sunday shopping Sundays per year (“koopzondagen”), these are determined by the municipalities. Municipalities can also determine tourist areas on their own responsibility in which more frequent Sunday opening is permitted: In Amsterdam , Rotterdam and Leiden , the shops in the city center are usually open every Sunday. In The Hague, the Sunday opening is every Sunday for the city center and the outskirts. B. in Almere, Delft and Roermond.
		12 shopping Sundays a year	Regulation by the municipality

Norway

Monday to Saturday

sundays and holidays

All outlets

The closing times of the shops are legally suspended on working days. Special regulations exist for the sale of alcohol. This is largely restricted at night.

On the last three Advent Sundays before December 24th, sales outlets can open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Other Sundays open for sale are possible in the special public interest on special occasions.

There are no restrictions on sales in kiosk items in kiosks with a sales area of no more than 100 m². There are also exceptions to the ban on sales on Sundays and public holidays for petrol stations up to a sales area of no more than 150 m², sales points on campsites, sales points in tourist areas, in restaurants, sales at auctions, art galleries, sales in temporary exhibitions and goods fairs, the Sale of flowers, plants and garden items, sale of local goods, sale at airports and sale of production facilities for tourist purposes.

Austria
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
The opening times in Austria are mainly regulated in the " Amendment to the Opening Hours Act 2003", which will apply from January 1, 2008 . For exceptions see above in the chapter Austria.	Shops are allowed to be open on working days from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Bakery businesses are allowed to open from 5.30 a.m. The total hold-open time within a calendar week must not exceed 72 hours.	It is not permitted to keep sales outlets open on Sundays and public holidays. Exceptions: bakeries, petrol stations, shops in airports and train stations, tourist regions
		All outlets	closed

Poland
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	No Sunday opening since 2020.

Portugal
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	The sales points must remain closed between midnight and 6 a.m.

Russia
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
All outlets	no legal restriction	All outlets	no legal restriction

Sweden
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
Basically, it must be ensured that the rest time of the employees is between midnight and 5 a.m. Otherwise there are no legal restrictions.		The opening of sales outlets of any kind is not restricted on Sundays; however, the sales outlets have to respect the employees' right to a rest period between midnight and 5 a.m.

Switzerland
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
The shop closing times in Switzerland vary from canton to canton. In the cantons of Zurich, Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Schwyz, the closing times from Monday to Saturday are limited to 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., in other cantons the usual closing times are traditionally Monday to Friday 7 p.m. 8 p.m. and Saturday 4 or 5 p.m. Often there is also a weekly day with evening sales until 8 or 9 p.m. (Berne one until 10 p.m.), in large cities usually Thursday, in smaller cities Friday. Basel-Stadt and Graubünden do not allow evening sales. It is customary to extend the opening times from Monday to Friday until 8 p.m. There are often exceptions for tourist locations and special shops.		On Sundays, the sale is only at larger train stations, airports and gas station shops as well. Exceptions often apply to tourist locations and special shops. Ten cantons allow four general Sunday sales per year, five cantons two Sunday sales per year, and four cantons two Sunday sales in December. Five cantons do not allow general Sunday sales. In Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Wallis it differs from municipality to municipality. In the canton of St. Gallen , kiosks, train station and flower shops are allowed to be open on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., but also grocery stores if they have a maximum area of 120 m² and are family businesses. In most cantons, the bakeries are open until around 12 noon on Sundays.

Spain
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
all outlets	no legal restriction	There are 8 shopping Sundays a year.
		All outlets	10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

United States
Monday to Saturday		sundays and holidays
In the USA, the regulations differ depending on the state and often also depending on the municipality.	different legal restrictions	All outlets	Most municipalities are allowed to open on Sundays, but sometimes only from 1 p.m., for example. For example, in Bergen County there are restricted Sunday opening hours. Some states have a general Sunday ban on selling alcohol outside of licensed restaurants, while others only have mornings.

Statutory regulations on employee protection

Working Hours Act (for Germany)
Federal law on work in industry, trade and commerce (for Switzerland)
Youth Labor Protection Act
Maternity Protection Act
Night work
Sunday rest

Holidays in German-speaking countries

literature

Uwe Spiekermann: Free consumption and social responsibility. On the history of shop closing in Germany in the 19th and 20th centuries. In: Journal of Company History . Vol. 49, No. 1, 2004, pp. 26-44, doi : 10.17104 / 0342-2852_2004_1_26 .
Wolfgang Mosbacher: Sunday protection and shop closing. The constitutional framework for shop closing on Sundays and public holidays and its subjective legal dimension (= publications on public law. Vol. 1075). Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-428-12409-1 (also: Berlin, Free University, dissertation, 2006).
Ingo-Jens Tegebauer: The development of the shop closing law since 2004. In: GewerbeArchiv. Vol. 53, No. 2, 2007, ISSN 0016-9404 , pp. 49-55.

Web links

Information from non-German countries

General information from Germany

Information on individual German federal states

Individual evidence

↑ Dish loosens restrictions: The bakery now has rolls all Sunday - n.tv.

↑ No rule violation when selling bread and rolls on Sundays and public holidays by restaurant operators. OLG Munich, judgment of February 14, 2019, Az. 6 U 2188/18. Bayern.Recht, accessed on May 17, 2020 .

↑ Federal Court of Justice decides - all-day bread sales are permitted on Sunday Der Tagesspiegel, October 17, 2019

↑ Sunday sales of baked goods are permitted in bakery branches with cafés. In: Press office announcement No. 135/2019. Federal Court of Justice , October 17, 2019, accessed on May 17, 2020 .

↑ Law on the amendment of the trade regulations of June 1, 1891 (RGBl. P. 261)

↑ Law on the amendment of the trade regulations of June 30, 1900 (RGBl. P. 321)

↑ Ordinance on the regulation of the working hours of employees of March 18, 1919 (RGBl. P. 315)

↑ Working time regulations of July 26, 1934 (RGBl. I p. 803 )

↑ Working time regulations of April 30, 1938 (RGBl. I p. 447 )

↑ BVerfG, judgment of November 29, 1961, Az. 1 BvR 760/57; BVerfGE 13, 237 .

↑ BVerfG, judgment of January 16, 2002, Az. 1 BvR 1236/99

↑ Germans want to go shopping on Sunday too , GfK study, Die Welt, December 21, 2014

^ Law on the opening of shops in Baden-Württemberg and amending other regulations. (PDF) Printed matter 14 / 934th State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg, February 14, 2007, accessed on August 27, 2016 (file size: 50 KB).

↑ Landtag BW, DS 14/5413 (PDF; 35 kB).

↑ ^a ^b Berlin Store Opening Act as amended on October 13, 2010 ( PDF file , 30 kB).

↑ ^a ^b Brandenburg Shop Opening Act

↑ ^a ^b legal text

↑ ^a ^b LOeG Hamburg - 6 × 24 regulation.

↑ ^a ^b Hessian Store Opening Act (HLöG)

↑ ^a ^b 5x24 regulation

↑ ^a ^b Lower Saxony Shop Opening Act

↑ ^a ^b Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia: Act regulating shop opening times (Shop Opening Act - LÖG NRW) .

↑ ^a ^b Shop Opening Act Rhineland-Palatinate

↑ ^a ^b Shop Opening Act

↑ ^a ^b § 3 SächsLadÖffG

↑ Saxony-Anhalt Store Opening Hours Act - LötTZeitG LSA

↑ ^a ^b Shop Opening Hours Act Schleswig-Holstein .

↑ ^a ^b Schleswig-Holstein State Ordinance on Keeping Outlets Open on Sundays and Holidays in Health Resorts, Recreation and Tourism Resorts (Baths Ordinance - BäderVO) of November 18, 2008 .

^ ^A ^b juris GmbH: Landesrecht TH ThürLadÖffG | State standard Thuringia | Complete edition | Thuringian Shop Opening Act (ThürLadÖffG) of November 24, 2006 | valid from: 11/30/2006. Retrieved July 16, 2018 .

^ Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgart, Germany: Baden-Württemberg: No-night alcohol sales ban is lifted again . In: stuttgarter-zeitung.de . ( stuttgarter-zeitung.de [accessed December 25, 2017]).

↑ § 11 Baden-Württemberg Shop Opening Act - Exceptions in the public interest.

^ Confusion about selling flowers in the country ( Memento from May 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), Stuttgarter Zeitung from April 28, 2008.

↑ Bavaria's FDP shakes the shop closing time , Focus.

↑ Welt Online of November 12, 2007: “Churches complain against the law on shop opening” , Die Welt, accessed on July 19, 2011.

↑ BVerfG, judgment of December 1, 2009 , Az. 1 BvR 2857/07 and 1 BvR 2858/07; BVerfGE 125, 39 .

↑ BVerfG press release No. 134/2009 of December 1, 2009.

↑ Shop opening times. Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, accessed on December 2, 2018 .

↑ § 3 HLöG .

↑ Lübecker Nachrichten: Court tips pool regulation ( page can no longer be accessed , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ln-online.de
↑ Court overturns generous shop opening law in MV . In: svz . April 7, 2010 ( nnn.de [accessed December 2, 2018]).
↑ Swimming pool regulation: From August 1st 2010 the new swimming pool regulation applies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania ( Memento of July 11th 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (Ministry of Economy, Labor and Tourism)
↑ § 8 SächsLadÖffG
^ Schleswig-Holstein special regulation for health resorts, recreation and tourism locations .
^ NDR.de on the new pool regulation in Schleswig-Holstein .
↑ Pool regulation: Round table agrees on key points. State government of Schleswig-Holstein, January 30, 2013, accessed on December 2, 2018 .
↑ SPAR Austria - Locations , accessed November 19, 2015.
↑ Business opening permitted on Advent Sundays , orf.at November 19, 2015, accessed November 19, 2015.
↑ https://www.srf.ch/news/regional/ostschweiz/landsgemeinde-glarus-kein-ladenschluss-um-17-uhr-und-tanzverbot-light , accessed on May 5, 2019
^ M. Rehbinder: Commentary on the Labor Law
↑ Explanatory report on a federal law on shop opening times, 5 Appendix: Overview of shop opening times in the various cantons .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r according to the national labor law (ArG)
^ Canton of Basel-Stadt: Law on public rest days and shop opening
^ Canton of Bern: Law on Trade and Industry
↑ Canton of Lucerne: Rest day and shop closing law
^ Canton of St. Gallen: Law on rest days and shop opening
^ Canton of Solothurn: Economic and Labor Law
↑ Canton of Thurgau: Law on shop opening times
^ Canton of Uri: Law on shop closing and Sunday rest
^ Canton of Valais: Law on store opening. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 8, 2015 ; accessed on December 2, 2018 .
↑ Canton of Zug: Rest day and shop opening act
^ Canton of Zurich: Rest day and shop opening law
^ Draft for a federal law on shop opening times .
^ Romeo Regenass: Broad alliance against Sunday work. Tages-Anzeiger of May 24, 2012, Zurich, p. 41.
↑ Referendum result (PDF; 7 kB)
↑ Susanna Ellner: Against limitless consumption , in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, June 17, 2012 (accessed on June 18, 2012).
↑ Voting results canton "The customer is king!" Canton of Zurich, accessed on December 2, 2018 .
^ Internet site K-Citymarket in Ruoholahti
↑ http://documenti.camera.it/leg18/dossier/pdf/AP0033.pdf?_1550167869475
↑ Poland heralds the end of Sunday shopping , rbb24, March 9, 2018
↑ https://www.radiolausitz.de/beitrag/sonntagsoeffnungszeiten-in-polen-weiter-eingeschraenken-568123/
↑ Russia: The market decides when to buy. In: DiePresse.com. May 4, 2013, accessed January 7, 2018 .
↑ Katrin Litschko: Christian Democrats want closed shops on Sunday. (No longer available online.) Radio Slovakia International, August 16, 2011, archived from the original on February 9, 2012 ; accessed on December 2, 2018 .
↑ Law on Selling Time in Wholesale and Retail (223/2016 Sb. Zákon o prodejní době v maloobchodě a velkoobchodě)
↑ Eltörlik a vasárnapi zárva tartást on hiradu.hu.
↑ Shops will be able to set their opening hours freely on January 1 , Helsinki Times.
↑ Amendment of the Opening Hours Act 2003 ( Federal Law Gazette I No. 62/2007 )

↑ Swiss-Retail.ch - detailed overview of shop opening times

^ Romeo Regenass: Broad alliance against Sunday work. Tages-Anzeiger of May 24, 2012, Zurich, p. 41.

↑ Swiss-Retail.ch - detailed overview of shop opening times

^ Romeo Regenass: Broad alliance against Sunday work. Tages-Anzeiger of May 24, 2012, Zurich, p. 41.

^ ^A ^b Charles Strum: THE 1993 ELECTIONS: Bergen; Sunday-Closing Law Retained in New Jersey County . In: New York Times, November 3, 1993.